Welcome to the Piano World Piano ForumsOver 2 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

This is just a short medley of video-game tunes that I've picked up by ear over the years. I've been playing some of these since I began playing the piano, and others I've only just picked up (I'll let you guess which ones are which :P). I tried to give my own twist on these, as most other pianists on youtube tend to play them exactly as you would hear it in the game or on some unofficial sheet music. (yawn).

Song list-#1-Dire, Dire Docks (Super Mario 64): This one's almost become an unofficial standard on youtube, and for good reason. It's extremely simple, quite beautiful, and anyone who grew up with an N64 knows this tune. #2-Grunty's Lair (Banjo Kazooie): I only figured this tune out recently while learning another song (Reflection Rag by Scott Joplin). As such, it's not really polished yet, and I decided to shift into Country Gardens for no particular reason :P#3-Level Map (Super Mario World): Had a bit of a brain fart with this one, somehow.#4-Outside (Luigi's Mansion): It's a nice, simple tune, and using the sustain pedal for nearly the whole piece gives it an eerie and ambient quality, especially on an upright.#5-Sector X (Star Fox 64): For some reason, this tune is sadly neglected. Because nothing's ever happily neglected :P

If you can, please edit your first post with the new link and track list. I clicked on the wrong link at first

Dire Dire Docks is becoming standard fare indeed. Extensive use of the pedal makes the whole thing rather blurry at times. The melody has trouble standing out.

Transition to the next tracks can use a small amount of work to make it less abrupt. If you're filming in multiple takes, then compiling it into one video, those transitions become important. At least make sure the sound is down or faded before cutting into the next song.

I've never played any of these games so all but Dire Dire Docks is new to me. I like the one from Luigi's Mansion. The eerie sound quality is quite nicely fitting. You give it enough time for those sounds to do their work. And then it cuts abruptly into the next piece, ack.

_________________________
David Lanz - Dark HorseYiruma - River Flows In You

It's strange to me that the internet has collectively decided to call the first theme you play "Dire Dire Docks". There are two Mario 64 levels with that music, "Jolly Roger Bay" and "Dire Dire Docks". I think of the former as the defining, interesting, important level; the latter always seemed to me like an unimaginative afterthought. But I guess it has the more fun name.

My only guess is that whoever arranged it first forgot the other name, and it just kinda stuck. Or maybe because "Dire Dire Docks" just sounds more dramatic and serious than " Jolly Roger Bay" (ooh how I hated that level!). Tbh I'm not sure. I definitely did use too much pedal, though. I was going for a really "wet" sorta sound, pun intended. The odd thing is that I was half-pedaling throughout the piece (with pauses), only "flooring it" once or twice.

And yeah, I did shoot this in multiple takes and edit it together later. Oddly enough, the in-song edits are fine, but yeah, those transitions weren't well-rendered at all. It was just kinda quick 'n dirty all around :P

Also, for whatever reason, I can't edit the OP. Normally, I'm very critical of those who double post for no reason (been on many web forums for years), but since there's an apparent time-limit on edits, I'll just have to eat my words and let a mod clean it up.